Monday, March 16, 2026

ONTARIO TRAILS COUNCIL NEWSLETTER - March 16, 2026

 

Ontario Trails Council - a provincial charity working for the development, use, management and preservation of trails and trail based activity.
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w inter scene by a brook on a winter trail in Ontario
ONTARIO TRAILS COUNCIL NEWSLETTER - March 16, 2026

• National Trail Conference Go Fund Us - Send 10 Ontario Reps to Winnipeg! •
• Winter Activity on Ontario Trails • Trail Projects • Updates • Member Services •

a winter scene from the bruce trail conservancy facebook page

the province of Ontario flag
Ontario Trails Council is a charity, led by a volunteer board of directors, that promotes the use, management, development, and preservation of trails and trail-based activities in Ontario. 

Please consider supporting us through a donation or a membership. Thanks.

 

TOP TRAIL NEWS


March 10, 2026 
PRESS RELEASE ON ADJUSTMENT OF CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES - ONTARIO

December 21, 2025 
A RESPONSE TO CONSERVATION AUTHORITY AMALGAMATION BY ONTARIO TRAILS COUNCIL
 
Remarks from 'our dear friend' south of the border increase local tourism - BayToday.ca
BayToday.ca
Close to 3,000 visitors enjoyed the resort's 100 km of cross-country ski trails this winter, during a period when the city and northern Ontario more ...

March break - Hamilton - PressReader
PressReader
... Recreational Trail, Shrewsbury Trail, Spencer Creek Trail and Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. ... Trails; and Bloomland in Oz (tickets required) ...
 
Bike Share Toronto unveils new and improved e-bike model - TorontoToday.ca
TorontoToday.ca
A rendering of the new Bike Share prototype e-bike. Michael Longfield, executive director of cycling advocacy group Cycle Toronto, called the new ...
 
Ontario's best maple syrup festivals and sugar shacks to visit in 2026 - Streets Of Toronto
Streets Of Toronto
Hike (or toboggan) the farm's sugarbush trail, taste sap from the tree and head to the sugar shack to watch the pros at work before exploring the ...
 
Ontario's plan to merge conservation authorities has $20M budget - MidlandToday.ca
MidlandToday.ca
'Inconsistencies have hampered the ability of conservation authorities to perform their duties,' says environment minister.

Amalgamation of Hamilton, other conservation authorities moving ahead - PressReader
PressReader
Hamilton's agency will become part of a new Western Lake Ontario Regional Conservation ... conservation lands and trails “is not changing.

Therapy horses connect with seniors building mental and physical resilience - CTV News
CTV News
... Horse-Power for Seniors”. The event is ... “I was a farmer's daughter, and I used to ride before moving to Canada when I was 19,” says Cudi.
 
Spring Ice Climbing during March Break - Sault Ste. Marie News - SooToday.com
SooToday.com
Spring Ice Climbing during March Break. Paid Listing Superior ... Canada · World. More. Live Webcams · Games and Comics · Spotlight · Jobs of the ...

Marten Falls Community Access Road Project - Recreational Trail Impacts?

Marten Falls First Nation is proposing the construction and operation, including maintenance, of an all-season multi-use community access road approximately 190 to 230 kilometres in length, connecting the northern end of Painter Lake forestry road to the community of Marten Falls. Marten Falls is located at the junction of the Albany and Ogoki rivers, approximately 170 kilometres northeast of Nakina, Ontario. As proposed, the Marten Falls Community Access Road Project could enable future access to potential mineral development activities in the Ring of Fire area.
 

Message from Chief Bruce Achneepineskum

The Community Access Road is more than infrastructure; it is a symbol of resilience and hope. It stands as a testament to our determination to overcome barriers and build a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. For Marten Falls members, this road means new possibilities—access to economic development that can: create collective partnerships in the region; bring jobs and prosperity, and provide reliable routes for healthy foods and food security, and improved access to social programs and services that support our families. The Community Access Road represents the promise of a community where every member can thrive, where traditions are honored, and where the next generation can look forward to a life filled with opportunity. We invite all First Nations and the public to recognize the profound importance of this project and support its timely completion.
 

Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Assessment and Review Period

The Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement was released on February 20, 2026. Anyone wishing to provide comments on the Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement must submit them by April 10, 2026. The Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement is available on the Community Access Road website here.

 

In-Person Viewing Locations for the Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement:

  • Greenstone Public Library – Geraldton Branch: 405 2nd Street W., Geraldton 
  • Greenstone Public Library – Longlac Branch: 110 Kenogami Drive, Longlac
  • Sioux Lookout Public Library – 21 Fifth Avenue, Sioux Lookout
  • Matawa First Nations Management – 233 S. Court Street, 2nd Floor, Thunder Bay
  • Timmins Public Library – 320 2nd Avenue, Timmins
     

Submit your comments on the Final Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement to:

Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
Environmental Assessment Branch 135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1st Floor Toronto, Ontario M4V 1P5
Attention: Dorothy Moszynski, Special Project Officer, and Simon Zhao, Special Project Officer
Tel: 437-247-9628, 437-248-0058
Email: dorothy.moszynski@ontario.casimon.zhao@ontario.ca
 

 

Is your trail impacted by the potential Alto High Speed rail project?


The friends of the Cataraqui Trail write to OTC:

We have become aware of the possible use of the Cataraqui Trail as part of the future Alto Train route. You can see where the proposed southern Alto train route traverses the trail via Alto’s interactive map: https://en.consultation.altotrain.ca/shaping-the-canada-of-tomorrow-with-high-speed-rail/places/interact-map

The Friends are of course concerned and passed the motion below. 

Motion:

That the Friends of the Cataraqui Trail express opposition to the location of the ALTO High Speed Rail system along any section of the Cataraqui Trail and encourage members of the Friends of the Trail to express their own opinions to ALTO. 

Alto is encouraging feedback via a brief. If your organizations are interested. Here is the link to submit a brief: https://en.consultation.altotrain.ca/shaping-the-canada-of-tomorrow-with-high-speed-rail/surveys/upload-brief

The OTC will be sending in its own brief, we encourage OTC members impacted by the railway to also write their own brief.


 

OTC President’s Corner 
March 2026


As many of us now say, “It’s been a minute” since we last connected and so it has. As a
Canadian it would be strange of me not to inject something about the weather – so
however you experienced winter in Ontario this season, I’m hoping you found a way to
enjoy it outdoors on a trail! Spring is near and we all can feel the sun’s warmth again. It
is beginning to feel like a new day in more ways than a seasonal change. I’ll give you a
simple example.

Since the summer of 2000, the Ontario Trails Council (OTC) and the
Trans Canada Trail (TCT) decided it was in their best interest to each take a different
“fork in the trail”. The trail each agency followed diverged but were never out of sight
and often not out of step with each other’s forward direction. Time passed, trail leaders
moved on, history faded and those two forks in the trail, found their way back to a
single, more established pathway.

If you heard it from someone else, this should help make it clear: the Ontario Trails
Council is once again working with the Trans Canada Trail on trail related challenges to
find solutions and improve trail operations and the user experience here in Ontario. We
need each other – we always have. Starting this week, the OTC is engaging with local
trail champions in Durham Region, near Uxbridge – Trails Capital of Canada to knit
together a solution that will stabilize the management of the Beaver River Wetland Trail
– a 22km TCT section, in collaboration and with the support of the Trans Canada Trail.

As an OTC member, trail manager and/or trail enthusiast you may have questions about
what changed? What took you so long? How do we tap into this kind of OTC/TCT
assistance? What I can tell you here is that this renewed arrangement was long in the
making, fostered by many over many years and I’d be happy to share more about how it
came to be in several ways. First, I’d like to thank Patrick Connor (OTC Executive
Director) and Kim Goodman (OTC Board Member) for their resilience, openness and
aim to support this renewed relationship with the Trans Canada Trail team.

Now as for the options to connect and learn more see below:

Option 1: reach out and email me president@ontariotrails.ca. If my inbox is
overwhelmed by your questions, that’ll be a happy problem because we’ll get to meet
each other.

Option 2: reach out to Patrick Connor (Executive Director) and ask about membership
renewal, assistance and support – he’d love to get in touch. execdir@ontariotrails.ca

Option 3: Consider attending the Canadian Trail Summit in Winnipeg June 16-19
https://canadiantrailsummit.ca/ being hosted by Trans Canada Trail. This is a great
chance to catch up, connect, talk trail challenges and solutions. Also, The Forks in
Winnipeg is an iconic destination in Canada, especially in June – not to be missed.
 
Can’t make the Summit but would still like to support it? We have an OTC GoFundMe
account set up below, the aim is to use the funds raised to offset the costs of 10 Ontario
attendees to the conference. We’d love the support, but even better is to have 10 reps
from Ontario attend and bring back the learning here.
 
Safe, accessible and enjoyable trails to all of you,
Dan

 

ONTARIO TRAIL NEWS 

Go Fund Us

You can Help send 10 Ontario Trails Leaders to the National Trail Summit

 

Ontario Trails Council is revitalizing our partnership with the Trans Canada Trail. Recent talks have gone exceedingly well between the OTC Board and leadership of the TCT. We thank the TCT for the opportunity to support our presence at the national event.

Unfortunately due to a lack of resources we missed the World Trail Conference 2 years ago. We wish to have a presence in Winnipeg in support of those OTC members that Support the Trans Canada Trail in their communities.

With your help we can help shape a better future for trails in Canada. Please donate to get us there. Thank you.
 

winnipeg bridge over downtown river













 


ONTARIO TRAIL PROJECTS AND FUNDING
 

Why some trail builders are ditching bench cuts for elevated singletrack tread
Singletracks.com
“The quality of trails and the sustainability and the longevity of the trail ... He personally learned the technique while building in British Columbia.
 
How Ontario Cycling Connects Riders Across the Province
Canadian Cycling Magazine
... Ontario's cycling community, Ontario Cycling delivers programs, events ... An ability to host any number of club related activities including group ...
 
Iroquois Falls Cross-Country Ski Club gets funds for grooming equipment - Cochrane Times-Post
Cochrane Times-Post
... Canada · World · Special ... The club offers year-round programming, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, trail running, biking and hiking.
 
Media Advisory - Government of Canada to announce investment in Indigenous heritage in Brantford
The Globe and Mail
/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Government of Canada to announce investment in Indigenous heritage in Brantford/. Newswire.ca - 22 minutes ago.
 

Guelph Connection Update

Momentum is building to bridge the gap with a safer off-road trail connection into Guelph with new funding and support of stakeholders.

By bridging the Guelph-area’s final gap in the G2G Rail Trail, users will for the first time be able to seamlessly and more safely experience the full breadth of the 132-kilometre G2G Rail Trail, providing significant benefits to the recreational community and the Guelph tourism economy.

Th20250801_101700.jpge proposed new 2.7-kilometre trail is situated along the City-owned Guelph Junction Railway (GJR) right of way between the recently-completed GJR Multi-Use Trail at Woodlawn Road and the G2G Rail Trail trailhead on Silvercreek Parkway North at Marden. Currently, the only way for trail users to continue their journeys between Guelph and Marden is to travel on the narrow shoulder of Silvercreek Parkway North, sharing space with cars and trucks on this heavily trafficked roadway.

Project Information:
Diligence continues on numerous fronts, including the completion of a topographical survey, a preliminary trail design, an independent rail safety audit and intensive engagement with numerous stakeholders. Creating a safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective overall design that is acceptable to all stakeholders is the priority before moving to construction.

The aspirational goal of this community-led, city-supported project is to complete the G2G Rail Trail Guelph Trailway Connection in time for the Guelph and Goderich bicentennial celebrations in 2027.

Press Release:
https://www.guelphmercury.com/news/guelph-goderich-rail-trail/article_9149af63-c5ad-5cf7-a846-3eea45319d9f.html

Video of the Connection:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPZu4NIuC1_l27wWKuyg7LMkKdbdYsoi/view?usp=sharing



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